Love at first sight
by upon-request
Summary: ...is over rated. A HarryLuna piece centered around the themes from book five. Doesn't include HBP.


**A.N. Here we have a Harry-Luna piece, I hope it meets expectations. As I said I'm working on backed up requests, so they should be out soon. As for now, please read, review, and enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. The idea is from** _limonade_: "I would really love to see a Harry/Luna fic centered around Thestrals and the Veil and other concepts in book 5." I'm gaining nothing but (hopefully) better writing skills. (And, if I'm lucky, reviews.)

The concept of love at first sight is highly over rated. Harry didn't know of anyone who looked at someone and –the first time they met- knew instantly that they were destined to be together. For instance, Remus had told him that the first time his dad had seen Lily he'd pulled a prank on her dying her hair green for the sorting. Remus said James had fallen in love when Lily had hexed him back. But still- it wasn't love at first sight.

As for Harry, his love had crept on him so slowly he almost hadn't noticed it. In fact the first time he had seen Luna he'd wished to be anywhere but in her train compartment and wondering if Cho liked him. Of course she had been a, well- not for him…

But the feelings had come, so slowly he hadn't noticed them. Until he saw her standing outside the common room and remembered that she could see thestrals. She'd lost someone, too.

He hadn't resisted the urge to write to her that summer. He needed to talk to somebody but Ron and Hermione and Ginny, well they were innocent. They couldn't see thestrals. They'd never seen someone die. They couldn't understand. She could.

They'd gone on their first date fall of sixth year. After two months everyone stopped telling him how much better he could do. There are only so many times one could hear the argument "There's no one better then Luna" without beginning to believe it. You could see in his eyes that Harry loved her, and you knew that for Harry there was no one better.

By the end of sixth year they were inseparable. On Valentines Day he'd taken a thestral and ridden it to outside her dormitory window. They'd gone for a moonlit ride together, over the lake, the forest, over everything. He'd found a quiet clearing and they'd had a picnic together, just the two of them. They'd chattered about meaningless things or perhaps the most meaningful things there were. If Harry closes his eyes he can still remember it, in every little detail.

"What do you hear?" she'd asked suddenly.

"Now?"

"No, beyond the veil."

"Oh, just- just whispers. I can't understand them."

"Oh."

"Why?" he'd asked, rolling over. "What do you hear?"

"My mother."

"What does she say."

"Good luck," Luna was crying now, "She says 'good luck my little moon.' That's what she always used to call me. Her little moon. I miss her so much…"

She was crying into Harry's shoulder now, letting out emotions she'd ignored for years. And Harry realized that she'd needed someone just as much as he had. That each of them had had a portion of their heart torn out. But maybe it was because of this that their hearts matched so well.

They'd split up at the end of sixth year, he'd wanted to go off and fight Voldemort and wasn't willing to risk her. She'd said she understood, but she refused to say goodbye, because goodbye was too permanent, this wasn't forever.

"We'll meet again someday Harry, I know it."

"I do too, my little moon, and when we do I mean to marry you," he'd whispered, handing her a velvet box. She'd smiled and begun to cry tears of joy and pain, then flung her arms around him, pulling him close.

They'd kissed goodbye for now and he never saw her alive after that. Voldemort killed her for the sheer pleasure of torturing Harry. It was perhaps his biggest mistake ever as after that Harry was able to think of nothing but killing Voldemort. Voldemort had taken his Luna, his life, his little moon, his light in the darkness. He would pay for it; feel some of the pain Harry felt because of him…

And yet when Voldemort had been utterly destroyed he found- it didn't help. His Luna was still gone, taking with her his heart, his reason for living. His everything. His friend tried to help him but they didn't understand. He loved her, he'd always love her, and when she was gone he simply lost the will to live.

Perhaps that was why he was standing there, in front of the veil in the Department of Mysteries, three years to the day since he'd met her. The veil was fluttering in some wind he couldn't feel, and the whispers were louder now. He took a step towards it, and another, listening to its voice, _her _voice, calling out to him, sounding as sweet as it had back when they'd said goodbye for now.

"I love you Harry, I'll always love you," she whispered from the beyond, but her voice was fading. Harry moaned and ran forward to hear her better.

He fell at the foot of the veil, hands touching the cloth, crying, "Luna, my little moon, don't leave me, please. I can't handle goodbye, not goodbye forever."

"I love you," Luna called again, sounding fainter than ever, "and don't worry Harry, we'll meet again…" the voice vanished completely, leaving Harry alone with his tears, his broken heart, and the fluttering of the veil.

Harry looked up at the veil, and then crawled forward. Perhaps the veil understood.


End file.
